From Across the Room
by TobyandSpencer
Summary: Spencer never thought her life was exciting or meaningful. At a party with her friend, Hanna, one night: everything changes after she meets a mysterious young man that catches her attention from across the room...
1. Chapter 1: Alcohol and Phone Calls

Loud and ecstatic music played around her head, making her hips sway. Her arms rocked back and forth softly. The music had loud guitars, fast drums, and it made her heart flutter in excitement and joy. She didn't even know if it was from the alcohol, but she knew this music was creating a different mood she had never really ever felt.

The party being thrown at her friend's house was loud and musky with thick air, heavy breathing, and clustered rooms full of people with stars in their eyes. Everyone seemed the same to her, from the guys wearing their low cut shirts, to the girls with their hair in spirals of mess and their skirts far too short. But she enjoyed these type of people, the kind of people that made her feel sane.

"Spencer! Come on and meet this guy!"

The distant call was coming from her best friend, Hanna Marin. Spencer rolled her eyes, continuing to dance in the huge mass of poisoned teens. Hanna's drunken light voice echoed again, calling her name,

"Spencer!"

Finally she stopped swaying her hips, and she turned around in the pink glowing lights of the room, her eyes searching for her friend's blonde hair. She caught her eye on Hanna's round face in the back corner near the front door of the townhouse building. Hanna smiled when Spencer caught her eyes, and she motioned her to come over with her hand.

Spencer gave her a slight smile, the music growing faster. She had to slide through the collage of people, and finally got to Hanna, whose yellow sleeveless dress was falling a little too low...

"Okay, you have to go talk to Ryan, he's literally been staring at you all night!" Hanna's green eyes glowed with the growing smile on her face. Spencer turned her head, and saw a guy standing near the dance floor by himself, his eyes fixated on her. She couldn't see him clearly through all the musky fog, but she could tell it must've been him. Spencer sighed, not knowing if she wanted to talk to him, a random boy at a party.

"Me?" Spencer asked. "Why don't you go talk to him, you're basically already on second base with that dress of yours." Hanna cocked her head in confusion, then she looked down at her boobs that were about to fall out of her dress.

She let out a small, "Eek!" and pulled her dress up by the top, clenching her small hands to her chest. Spencer laughed, and she clenched her red solo cup closer to her chest. "You're welcome Han."

Hanna just rolled her eyes, then she laughed, before she began to turn around to go to the gray couch in the dark living room. "Seriously, go get him while he's still gawking over you, huh?" Hanna teased before she left and winked. She sat gracefully onto the couch, next to a couple making intensely out with their tongues. Spencer just laughed under her breath at Hanna's grossed out expression, her eyebrows tilted in a cartoonish expression. Spencer turned to face the dancing party in the other room. Ryan was still standing in the corner, but she looked away when she saw his eyes still on her. She felt her cheeks flush in embarrassment.

There were couples dancing and friends laughing hysterically as they all held hands; moving their hips like there was no end to the night. Spencer was deciding if she wanted to join them, and she began to move her feet to go to the crowd, before a hand touched her left shoulder. Spencer instantly spun around, her drink almost hitting the guy in the chest. He moved back slightly and announced, "Whoa there!"

Spencer blushed at her almost fail of a moment, and looked at the guy standing in front of her. She realized it was Ryan. He had short cut blonde hair, deep brown eyes, and he had a nicely fitting black polo shirt that showed his overwhelming pecks. Spencer was already in awe that the guy was even talking to her. He stared at her with a drunken puppy-dog love look, smiling at her blushing pink cheeks.

"I noticed you dancing by yourself earlier, and"- He stopped as the song changed into a smooth rap song, echoing off the walls, "and I wanted to know if you wanted to dance with me?" He asked, his voice growing louder, trying to overcome the loud music. His voice was even sexy. Spencer looked down, as he held out his hand to her, large and strong. She just took his hand and laughed, his fingers pressing along the top of her hand.

"You're insane." She laughed, as he led her to the dance room of glittering pink lights and the strong booze scent. He just shrugged, and continued to walk in front of her, pulling her through the large infestation of people. "No, but for you, maybe."

The music began to shake the house with strong drums and the deep voice of a male rapper come on, and Spencer began to move her hips slowly near the guy, and she kept an eye on Ryan, he just slowly swayed in front of her, as if he was observing her like a scientist. The music continued to echo off the white walls; Ryan watching her with intense eyes, which made her sort of uncomfortable. He stared at her as if she was a meal to eat; his eyes grazed over her moving hips and her exposed neck that shined from the disco lights from above.

He moved his body closer to hers, and she allowed him, she didn't hold back. She lost herself on that dance floor, just letting herself let go after a long week of school and family drama. But this guy, he made her veins run with hot blood, her hair stand on the back of her neck... and not in the good way. His eyes kept looking at her legs, then at her black skirt that was appropriately short. Then he moved behind her, grabbing her hips, his body pressed behind her back. Spencer raised an eyebrow, hesitating.

She didn't want "that" kind of attention, especially from Ryan. She instantly knew he had taken things too far when she felt his hand trace up her side, right below her bra. She pulled away from him, twisting herself around to look at him, her arms pushing his hands away from her, eyes irritated and squinted. "What do you think you're doing?" She hissed slightly, her voice shaky. He let out a small laugh, and he smirked, "I couldn't help myself, you're so hot."

Spencer let out a disgusted snarl, and she began to walk away from him, and he went behind her, and quickly squeezed her butt from under her skirt, his hand rough and cold, unlike the hand she held before they began to dance. "What the fuck?!" She turned around, and slapped him hard across the face, and he was shocked, but he smiled mysteriously at her, as he rubbed his cheek with his hand where she had slapped him. His eyes were daggers, almost eating her soul.

"Fucking pervert." Spencer spat at him, and then she felt satisfied, and walked quickly away from him, into the kitchen.

Once she was in the safe zone, she leaned against the sink, and she breathed in and out, feeling her heart beat against her chest. Spencer set her drink onto the white counter, breathing in through her mouth. She felt like his hand was still there, on her body, teasing her, hurting her. She wanted the feeling to go away, but she couldn't shake her thoughts off of it. It left an icy sting, uncomfortable and unforgivable.

The party lights shined down on her face, then off, the disco ball circling from above the dance floor in the other room. For her, this night had ended badly. Maybe she should just go home, study, be a good girl. But where was the fun in that? She could be having the time of her life, live her life to the fullest. But even now, she felt like that lonely thirteen year old girl who worked alone instead of in pairs. Her body couldn't move. She chose to just lean against that counter, and maybe just wait until Hanna came and found her. She had on a loose gray jacket, which hung over her black skirt, and her phone vibrated loudly from in her pocket. She groaned in irritation, and grabbed the phone from her pocket. The name was from her older sister, Melissa. Spencer just thought, "What the hell does she want?"

Melissa and she had never really gotten along; they never had that sisterly bond that most siblings always seemed to have in the books. Melissa was two years older than her, prettier, smarter, taller, and all the things Spencer wanted to be. The perfect daughter was Melissa, with her chestnut hair, her eyes that glowed, always those boring Anne Taylor outfits with the simple colors of blue, white, and black.

She answered her phone bluntly, "What Melissa?" She waited for an answer, and she heard her sister's small voice ask, "Spencer, where are you? I've been looking for you." Spencer rolled her eyes, knowing Melissa didn't give a damn about her, she just wanted to prove to her parents that she "cared". "I'm at Jessica's party, remember?"

Melissa stayed quiet for a moment, as if she was actually trying to remember, and she answered boringly, "Oh, yeah. Well you better get home, Mom and Dad are pissed." Of course they were, they were always pissed at her. "Fine, I'll be home in ten."

Melissa cut her off before she could finish, and the phone line went silent. Spencer just made a small noise at the back of her throat as if she was about to scream, and set her phone back into her pocket. Now she really did have to leave, even though she knew she'd much rather face Ryan again then her parents. But she knew they'd freak if she didn't show up.

Spencer left her cup on the counter, and began to move away to through the dance area to get to the front door. He eyes caught with Ryan's, and she felt her stomach drop to her knees, as he just smiled at her, and then he turned to a girl in a purple short dress, and grinded his body up against hers, she turned around, her black hair falling over her shoulder, and she smiled at him innocently. Spencer wasn't even impressed, she continued to walk past him.

The lights in the room danced more furiously then before, and she felt something. She didn't even know what it was, but something made her turn around to the back corner of the dance room. Her eyes wandered from person to person, as if she was trying to look for someone in particular. But she didn't know who that someone was. She sighed, and she was about to turn back around, until she saw someone sitting in a chair at the bar counter near the kitchen. Just from across the room, he was there.

His body was faced away from hers, and his head hung low, looking at a phone screen. He seemed to have headphones in his ears, which was odd to have at a party. She felt the urge to look over him even more. His hair was hanging slightly over his forehead, but was lifted up to give off a nice hair style, a brownish blonde texture that seemed calm and soothing to her. The boy wore a white button up shirt, the sleeves rolled up above his elbows, and dark jeans, fitting him nicely. He had on black boots that folded over at the top under his ankle, and it fit him well.

She had to see his face... just let her see his face. She had to see him, to see if he really was this perfect. She didn't even know him, never even met him, but she was already interested in him. It wasn't every day that a boy chose to listen to music over grinding on hot girls. He seemed like none of the party even mattered, the way his jaw was set in a straight line from where she could tell, he even seemed bored, maybe a little tired.

Spencer didn't even know why she was raising her hopes; he was just one guy. She'd meet a million guys in her life, he's just one attractive young man. She had to get home. But she didn't even know his name...

'God, get over him' she had to think to herself. Her phone chimed, and she tore her eyes sadly away from the boy, and she looked down at her phone as she pulled it away from her jacket. It was a text from Melissa:

Where the hell are you? Mom and Dad are going to killlll you!

Spencer sighed, and she just shut her phone off, knowing it was too late now, and she'd get a lecture one way or another. When she looked back to the bar counter, he was gone. The boy, the shy boy, was gone. She felt her heart literally sink in disappointment. She never even knew his name...

"Spencer! There you are!" The sound of Hanna's light voice came abruptly from behind her, and Spencer turned around and smiled at her friend. Hanna had her hair all messy in spindles of blonde clumps, and her makeup was smeared under her eyes. She was definitely drunk.

"Whoa, Han, you can't drive like this." Spencer exclaimed, touching her shoulder as Hanna began to tip over slightly. "No, no, I feel great! I can drive across the world!"-

Hanna did a small twirl in a circle, and she laughed when she almost fell over, Spencer catching her under the arm. "No, Hanna." Spencer tried to explain, but Hanna shook her head. "Jessica likes me, I'll just stay here Spencer. Thanks for the concern though babe!"

Hanna wobbled away from her, and she began to walk up the stairs, her eyes beginning to droop. Spencer just shook her head and smiled at her insane best friend. Hanna had always been one of a kind.

The dancing continued, and Spencer grabbed her keys from her pocket, and began to head out. She got to the front door, and then opened the red door quickly, the loud music escaping into the late night air of New York. The townhouse the party was held in was a decent size, an old place full of history. She escaped from the historic place, and she began to head outside. She looked out for her gray Toyota, and saw the small silver car still parked a ways down the street to her right. A small rain drop hit her neck, and she felt immediate goose bumps roll up her arms, and down her back.

It was easily around twelve, the moon perfectly fit in the center of the black night sky. Stars were spread out on the dark canvas, each star shining like headlights down onto the puny little Earth. Distant car horns echoed off the tall buildings and skyscrapers. This was what her life was surrounded by; car horns and twinkling stars. She smelt the aroma of a storm as she breathed in, and she saw a few raindrops beginning to fall onto the sidewalk, creating small tap like sounds on the cement and crooked street.

Her legs shook with the cold, and she rubbed her arms slightly as she began to walk back to her car. When she reached her car, she saw beyond the car in front of her, was a fallen over black motorcycle. She heard something hard hit the street, and she grew weary. She stopped herself from unlocking her car, and she began to walk towards the motorcycle, her boots clicking on the cement sidewalk quietly. But she stopped when she heard a quiet voice hiss,

"Dammit."

Spencer froze in her place, and saw someone leaning next to the motorcycle, a helmet lying next to them. It was the boy... from the party. He had on his white shirt, his hair messier than before, his hand running through his hair dramatically. He had on headphone in his ear, the other hanging out and touching the ground. He let his head drop, and she could see the previous car behind his motorcycle had hit it, and now one tire was completely ran over. There was no way he could get home.

Spencer didn't want to leave the poor guy out here, especially now that she had the chance to talk to him.

"Um, hi." Spencer let out, her voice small and shy. The boy turned around quickly, his eyes meeting hers for the first time. His eyes pierced her soul. They were the prettiest blue eyes she had ever seen, and his face, it was masculine and strong, and his chin had a small dimple in it. His eyes were clear and stared up at her, shadowed by his hair.

"I'm sorry for coming to you like this, but, I saw you and your motorcycle, and..." He interrupted her half way through her sentence, and spoke bluntly, "Don't bother, I'm fine."

His voice was husky, and deeply filled with emotion and strength. But it also had this small piece of it that was kind and gentle, and she could tell that just from her voice. "Really. I could give you a ride home if you want me to." Spencer offered, a few more raindrops hitting her, and now hitting the boy on his white shirt, dots of drops showing on his shirt. The boy sighed, and looked at his motorcycle. He seemed to be thinking about it, but then he shut his eyes, and rubbed his closed eyes with his palm. "Why would you want to help me?" He asked gently, his voice strained and exhausted.

Spencer sighed, and she took a step closer to him. "Because, it's going to storm soon, and... I don't know... just wanted to help." She hoped that answer was satisfying enough. He looked down at the ground, then he turned his neck, and looked at her. He groaned as he stood up slowly, and she was surprised to see how tall he was, easily over six feet tall. And he was in fit too, his chest broad and his shoulder muscles slightly showed due to his shirt being slightly large on him.

"Well, I can take care of myself." He replied, his voice quieter. Spencer lowered her eyes, and she felt like he didn't want her help. She didn't want to give this much effort just for this one guy to talk to her. She felt her heart change course, and she murmured, "Never mind, I'm sorry... I have to go."

She began to turn, and his eyes saddened by the slightest amount; eyes growing slightly sparkled with regret. His mouth hung slightly open as if he wanted to say something else, but she kept her back turned and she stared at her feet as they moved faster away from him, her face flushed with embarrassment. She felt like a complete idiot. She sadly began to walk back to her SUV, and she heard a distant voice call out, "Wait!"

She stopped and felt her heart skip a beat. She heard two urgent feet go after her, and slow down behind her. She turned around, sliding her hands into her pocket, the boy now standing two feet in front of her, his eyes apologetic.

"I don't think anyone can come out to get my bike tonight... so... I think I'd like to take your offer, if that's alright..." He seemed to be embarrassed for saying it, but she smiled slightly at him, and he seemed to be nervous. Spencer let out a shaky, "Okay", and she pulled out her keys, and the car let out a small bleep as she unlocked the car.

The boy followed her, and he walked around the car, and opened his car door, sliding inside gently. Spencer followed, and she entered her car, closing the door, and she pulled her skirt slightly down to cover her thighs. She couldn't be too daring with this guy.

The boy was staring out the windshield, and his eyes seemed to be tracing over the tall trees on each side of the street. He was definitely not like any other guy had met, usually their eyes would be on her very high skirt... But not him. He was different. And she liked that.


	2. Chapter 2: Window Dreams

"Do you mind me asking if you drank a lot of alcohol?" The boy asks, his eyes searching curiously into hers, the rain drops falling on her windshield, making his deep blue eyes glow and sparkle. Spencer just fixes her review mirror, and then she sarcastically answers him with,

"No, I have angry parents waiting for me at home, but come on, it's a party, so…"

The boy raises an eyebrow, and he seems a little unsettled. She smiles, and she exclaims, "I'm just kidding. I wouldn't get you killed by driving you home."

His body is turned away from her, and she sees that his eyes are looking at her in the outside car review mirror on his side. Once she sees his blue eyes, he looks down. She feels air pile into her stomach, turning into butterflied fluttering gently. Awkward.

He doesn't say anything, just nods. "So, where am I dropping you off?" She asks, her voice a little bit more kind due to the awkward silences the boy was giving off. "Uh… just the Brew." Spencer feels a little confused, the Brew was a small red coffee shop. "You're going to stay there?" She asks, not being able to hide the obvious concern in her voice.

The boy turns and looks at her. "You better hurry, you have mad parents waiting for you, don't you?" His attitude slightly shocks her from his originally quiet and awkward state, but she just nods, mouthing, "Wow." She easily pulls her car out of the parking space, and the boy says, "Thank you."

She begins to drive evenly straight in the pale reflection of the moon, the street lights dancing on the black floors as she drove. "Your welcome." She says in a monotone voice, afraid of showing real happiness that she gets to drive him home.

There was an awkward silence between Spencer and the boy, and she hadn't even tried to ask him what his name was, or how he was, or where he had come from. She kept rehearsing the conversation in her head, that they would actually get to know each other… but it was just not happening. The car drive was actually quite peaceful, there was still some rain falling, her windshield wipers timing counting up to five, then wipe, then again up to five.

But she didn't want to push the conversation, so that was that. She was driving to the Brew. She felt a little bit sick from the alcohol rolling off her tongue, but with the air running in her car, the smell of rain touching the tip of her nose, she felt better. The boy kept looking at the buildings around her, almost like he as measuring their proportions with his eyes. Spencer had to pinch herself mentally to let herself talk to him.

"Are you into construction or something?" She asked, but she instantly wanted to take it back, she felt like she sounded rude. He just looked at her, his eyes dropping to her shaking knee. He looked up at her, and Spencer caught his eyes in the review mirror above her head. She could only see into his eyes, as he murmured, "I'm a carpenter, I just like to observe." With that, he looked away again, his chilling blue eyes reflecting off the mirror. Spencer sighs, and she feels the need to apologize, but doesn't say anything. "What were you doing at the party?"

The boy suddenly asks, and it catches her off guard. She laughs gently and quickly, asking, "What do you mean?"

The boy looks at her, but she doesn't look back at him, she keeps her hands on the wheel, her eyes straight on the black road ahead of them. "I mean, you don't seem like the partying type, that's all." He looks away again, a slight teasing smile on his lips, as he looks down at his hands.

"What? You can see that just by how I look?" Spencer asks, her voice raising in irritation. He lets out a muffled laugh, it was gentle. "Who else would wear a blazer to a party? And, you're not drunk." Spencer furrows her eyes at him in the mirror, and she hisses back, "It's a jacket."

He rolls his eyes, and looks at her again. "I didn't know all jackets had buttons on the front." Spencer just keeps her eyes on the road, her fists clenching the wheel so hard, they turned white. He got her there. "Okay. I'm not much of the party type of girl. I went with a friend but… Never mind." She thought about mentioning her curfew, seeming like it was stupid. And mentioning her bratty sister would make her definitely crash the car. He looked down, and he doesn't ask her, but she can tell he is slightly curious.

Spencer stays quiet for a few seconds, before her phone chimes. She sighs, and grabs it from her pocket, and looks at it. It's her mother.

She picks up quickly, and the boy looks at her. "Hello?" Spencer answers quickly. She can already feel the angry smoke on the other end of the line. "Spencer Jill Hastings, where are you?!" Her mother's raging voice forced Spencer to tear her ear away from the phone slightly. "I'm helping a friend get home, okay? I'll be home in like ten minutes."

"Ten minutes? Spencer it's almost one in the morning! Get yourself home before I really lose my top!" Spencer just closes her mouth, and she hangs up abruptly, throwing her phone on the small counter between the boy and her. He is looking at her with curious eyes. "Everything alright?" He asks, his voice so concerned it brought pain to her heart. "No, it's fine, just my mom."

His eyes look down, seeming a little sad and guilty. "I'm sorry you had to take your time to drive me home, if you pull over, I could just walk the rest of the way"-

"Stop it, don't be ridiculous." Spencer interrupts him, looking at him seriously. "I wouldn't do that, especially now that it's raining." He slightly smiles at her, his eyes sparkle slightly at her response. She looks back to the road, her stomach filling with the nervous fluttering butterflies. "I'm still sorry." He says, and she doesn't have to look back at him to know he's still looking at her.

The rest of the drive is quiet, but she feels a ton better. She felt like they actually could possibly be friends, of course, if the boy wanted them to be. Spencer slowed her car down as she reached the Brew, and decided to just brake the car in front of the café. It was a small red building, musty, a staircase crawling up to a second floor loft that always seemed to have been empty. Spencer didn't want to ask him why he wanted her to drop him off there, so she just turned and smiled at him.

The boy smiled slightly back, before he unlatched his seat belt, and opened his car door. He gets out and closes it. The rain is falling onto his hair gently. He turned to walk away, sliding his hands into his pocket, his back about to turn from her.

Suddenly, she rolls his window down, and she can't let him walk away.

"Wait!" Spencer calls the window. He turns, his eyes searching hers past the rain. "What is your name?" She asks, her voice almost pleading for an answer. He smiles gently, and calls back to her, "Toby!"

His name was Toby. It was… different. And she liked it. Toby smiled at her, before calling back, "Can I know the name of the person that drove me home?" Spencer laughs gently, and she calls out back to him, "Spencer! My name is Spencer." He looks down, and then looks back at her under his hair. "I like it. It suits you well, Spencer."

With that, Toby turns around and jogs to the staircase, pulling keys out from his pocket. She realizes he lives in the loft. He reaches the top of the stairs, rain pouring off his hair, as he gently slides the keys into the red door at the top of the stairs, and unlocks it, and he slides half of his body inside, before looking down at Spencer, who still was parked in her place. He slightly gives a small wave to her, and she raises her hand, waving back.

He disappears into the building. But she still doesn't budge. She doesn't want to, but she has to get home. Goodbye, Toby…

Driving home was much lonelier now that Toby wasn't in the seat next to her. But she was more worried of getting her ass beat by her parents when she got home. She was used to getting yelled at by her petty parents, but she hated it each time it happened, even more by a little every time.

The rain was rushing on even more, each drop seeming too close to cracking her window shield. She had no idea even if she was going the right way, her mind had travelled so much. She looked at the clock in her car; 1:17. Damn, she had to get home now. She tried to peer through the glass, seeing only rushing rain and some street lights. She could make it home… maybe…?

Her phone rang again. She rolls her eyes in irritation, and she picks up her phone from the counter next to the clutch. "Hello?" Her voice answers, low and irritated. "Spencer, we are waiting for you when you get home. You're in big trouble young lady"-

"Young lady? That's a big 18th century word right there." Spencer sasses back, her mother hissing on the other side of the line. "I'm not joking, Spencer. You need to tell us why Melissa saw some man in your car!" Spencer freezes in time. "What are you talking about?" She asks, her voice growing louder.

"Melissa was heading to the party to check on you," Spencer thought this was already bull shit, "… and called me saying you were heading out into your car with some guy! Was he drunk!? Are you drunk!?"

Spencer just slams her phone into the back of her seat after she hangs up. Melissa didn't go to check up of her, she went to tell some dumb lie to her parents. To make her seem like the town punk. To her parents she was that. What a great older sister, Melissa was.

Spencer feels sudden tears starting to burst into her eyes, first small ones, then they were slipping down her cheeks. She didn't even try to wipe them away, but she finally saw her house from some clear spots through her window. She hated the place she called home.

She drove her car up into the driveway, just a long narrow strip of land. Her house was fairly large, an older house that had tall windows, big wide rooms, and a lot of family drama. She braked her car, and stayed inside for a little while, preparing herself for the worst to come from her parents. _Here I go again… _She thinks to herself, trying to calm herself before she had a panic attack. She had panic attacks quite often now, being a senior with a whole bunch of responsibilities and new hardships that came along with it. The only way she could calm herself down was with her ADHD pills that she had taken daily, due to her long history of stress.

She was just hoping she wouldn't have to take more pills after tonight. She grabs her keys from her ignition, slamming her keys into her blazer pocket. She picks up her Windows phone, and she opens the car door. She runs out of her car, her skirt getting drenched, and her legs pale and cold. She ran up to the gate in front of her house, pressing in the code to the lock, "901-214" and the gate clicked open, and she slammed it shut behind her, before opening the front door, a majestic double door that was white. She reached inside, closing the door quietly behind her, but she could hear her parents arguing in a different room, probably the kitchen.

"Spencer? Is that you?" She could hear her dads tired voice strain to reach her ears. She sighs, and groans, "Yeah, it's me." Her mother's straight black heels click along the wood tiling, and her beady dark eyes find Spencer's in the dark. Her mom has shorter brown hair, curled loosely, her black blazer with a blue blouse underneath. Her lips were pressed into a firm line as she switched the living room lights on.

"A party? You're drenched, and probably drunk, and you were with a random guy? Are you insane?" Her mother throws these words at her, but these words don't go through her. Spencer just stands with her head down. "It was nothing, Mom! I just drove the guy home! And drunk, no! You should be happy I didn't crash my car into some old elm tree."

Her mother stifles a fake laugh. "Happy? You want me to be happy, then for once, be like your sister and be responsible!" Spencer rolls her eyes. Be like her sister, some great advice, which meant to be a heartless bitch. "Don't give me attitude, Spencer!"

"Veronica, calm down." Peter says, her father. He wears his usual business attire, a black tie, a suit. His hair was shorter, but he always was much more calm then her mother. "Spencer is home, let's just discuss this tomorrow when she doesn't smell like booze." Her dad looks at Spencer, slightly sighs, showing he's disappointed. But that hurts so much more than them just to be angry at her, disappointment hit like a burn from hot coffee, but worse. Spencer sighs, her head beginning to ache.

Her mom looks at her dad, and she just presses her hand to her eye sockets, before she points to the hallway upstairs where Spencer's room was. "Out! And take a shower, burn those skanky clothes, too." Spencer feels her hands clench into fists, her legs shaking with rage.

"Skanky? I'm not a slut, Mother! I actually care about my future, I only went to support my friend, a friend who has cared and loved me just for who I was! I think you should try that for some time, but all you see in me is that: disappointment and a waste of breath."

With that, Spencer turns on her heels, heading towards her room; up the stairs and around the corner down the hallway. Her parents do not move, and don't say another word. Well, she was considering that conversation to have gone well… Still hurts.

She slams her door shut, shuffling back and forth in front of her bed. Her room was white, with red flowers printed along the walls. Nothing too much, like her sisters pink room, but it felt like it was her. It was preppy and organized, her pillows not one bit out of place. She had a large closet, it had double glass doors, and she had a window that went out to the night sky, and a huge old tree slanting against the house.

She pushes her hands up on the window lid, and lets fresh air breeze around her loose hair. She closes her eyes, and for a moment, she is relaxed. But another moment passes, and she remembers her commands to take a shower. Couldn't she just sleep? She really wanted to, but didn't want to push her parents any more than she had tonight. They could've easily taken her phone and her car, but didn't… at least, not yet.

Spencer decides to endure the night air, and she sits in her red couch chair next to the window. She breathes in the woodsy scent of pine cones and fall leaves, it was nice. The mixture of the aroma of fresh rain made every scent more soothing, like its own candle or perfume. It was a beautiful night despite all the horrible fighting.

When Spencer enters her bathroom after minutes pass sitting at the window, she looks like crap. Her light brown hair is out of place everywhere, her mascara now smeared under her eye lids from crying and the rain. Her eyes have hints of green in the mix of brown, mostly due to her father's parents. She had a single freckle below her left eye, and another under her cheek bone under that freckle. It was almost like a marker, a reminder of who she was, it was different from her sisters perfect complexion of tan skin, Spencer was rather pale, and not curvy like Melissa. Spencer sighs when she looks at herself again. She was nothing compared to her sister.

She peels off her black blazer, dropping her other clothes off as well. Her hips are wide, giving her waist a curve, but that was really it. Her chest had curves, but she was too skinny, and she was rarely ever seen as anything sexy except for her smooth long legs.

She heads to the shower, turning the metal knob to the left, warmth immediately escaping from above her. She was wondering what Toby was doing right now, was he thinking of her? Did he even like her? Was he staring out the window as she had done, or was he sleeping? And what was it about him that made her like him so much…? She turns the knob even more trying to not think about him, but he was still in the back of her mind, stuck.

She slides into the shower, pulling the white curtain closed. The warm water slips down her body, her head feeling warm from the contact. She slides her fingers through her natural ocean waved hair, and she grabs the vanilla scented shampoo from the small counter next to the shower knob. She rubs the shampoo into her hair, the same with her conditioner, and is too exhausted to deal with any more girly procedures.

She steps out of the shower, and the world instantly feels cold from her warm shower. She slips a white towel around her body, and rolls it under her armpit, keeping the towel up. She doesn't glance into her mirror, as she opens the door and goes to her room, Melissa's door closed. Spencer sighs, but she doesn't say anything.

As she enters her room, she sees her window is still open. Rain has fallen onto her red couch, and Spencer sighs knowing she will have to clean that up later. For a moment, she turns her back, but she feels like someone was watching her. Her curiosity causes her to turn around and look out the window. At the bottom of the house, under the tree, is movement. She peers her eyes at it, until she realizes it is a squirrel. Damn, she felt stupid. Why… why had she been hoping it was Toby… as if he was her knight in shining armor about to kill the beastly dragon and carry her away on a white stallion…

"In your dreams, Hastings." She whispers to herself, as she closes her window firmly.


	3. Chapter 3: Coffee and Quiet Stares

It was a tickle at the back of her neck that awoke her from her sleep. It was irritating, and she moves onto her side, trying to get comfortable again. What had she dreamt? She could've sworn it was something good, something that made her heart race, but now, she could not even remember if it was truly a "good" dream. Damn that irritating pain that tapped her on the back of the neck. When she opened her eyes, she saw that it was easily morning, her window still shut after her stupid daydreaming from the night before.

The sky was a dark musky gray color, the clouds crowded into each other seemingly endlessly. She stretches gently, her legs poking out from her floral sheets. Her back pops loudly when she sits up, and she winces at the strong impact. When she looks at the older clock sitting on her nightstand to her right, she sees its 4:30 AM. Good, she had school in two hours and thirty minutes, plenty of time to prepare.

She found school sort of a calming place, a place where she just had to do her work, turn it in on time, and that was that. There was no emotional connections to that, no arguing or fighting; just routine. She could live with that.

Spencer slipped out of her bed, her feet feeling numb. She forces herself over to her closet, opening the doors lazily, both doors hitting the wall irritatingly loudly to her. She groans, as she searches through her closet for a decent outfit that matched how she felt. Blue. She grabbed a blue blouse, and a white tank top from hangers. She then threw those on her messy bed, and went to her large white dresser. She pried open the second drawer, and grabbed a pair of jeans, sliding them on over her red panties. She had hardly ever worn pajamas to bed anymore, it's not like anyone would see her anyways.

She ripped her loose white t-shirt off, and she threw it in her red hamper next to the dresser. She looks disappointingly down at her chest, and her black laced bra. She was so skinny… Pft, whatever. She pulls her white tank top on over her head, then pulls it the rest of the way down, and then she buttons her blue blouse over it. She tucks in the blouse into her jeans, and it's a decent enough outfit.

Her closet had a cabinet full of shoes inside, and she walks over to it, opening the top. She picks out her short black heeled boots, and she grabs socks from her dresser after, and she heads to the bathroom after sliding each of her shoes on.

Turning on the bathroom light burned her eyes, and then she saw her reflection and almost gagged. Her hair was a mess, ocean waves all around. She decides to just go simple on herself and she straightens her hair evenly, then pulls her hair back into a high ponytail. Decent.

Her phone rings from her room. She sighs, and she rushes into her room, and pulls her pillow off her bed, her phone resting underneath it. She picks up the phone, and sees its Hanna's number. "Hey, Han." Spencer yawns, and Hanna is quiet for a moment. "Are you alright? You sound sick." Hanna asks, her voice raspy with a hangover. "Ha-ha, you're the one to ask, you're hungover Hanna." Hanna laughs slightly. "Yeah, I am! Are you still going to school today?"

"Of course I am, Hanna, do you even have to ask? I have two tests today." Spencer exclaims, and she slips on a wrist watch that was sitting on her nightstand, and sees its 4:59. "Screw tests, I need sleep, and two liters of water… and midonal… and a hot boyfriend." Spencer laughs at her friends small pout. "Hanna, I'm sure you can have all of those things. Look, I have to go, my parents are probably going to rant on me again."

"Oh, they caught you last night?" Hanna asks, her voice loud. "Yeah, just because I drove some guy home"-

"Some guy? Wait, hold up, you drove some hot guy home and didn't invite me?! Wow! I'm offended!" Hanna says sarcastically, laughing. Spencer laughs, then sighs. "It's nothing, it was just one guy."  
>"Spare me the details!" Hanna yips, clearly too interested. "I can't right now, I will if you come to school today though…" Spencer teases, and she waits for a little.<p>

"Ugh! Fine! I'll go to school, this guy might be worth my time." Hanna says, and she exclaims, "See ya! I love you, Spencey Wencey!"

Spencer smiles at her friends tone, and says, "Love you too Hanna Banana." And she hangs up the phone without another word. She spends the rest of her time putting on her regular makeup- just some light eye shadow with darker corners, and some black mascara from Revlon. She grabs her brown leather purse from her desk chair, and she heads down stairs, spraying on her Stella perfume as she went.

When she got downstairs, with her phone in her hand, her parents were sitting in the living room. Spencer sighs, and she heads towards the front door, but her mother growls, "Spencer."

Spencer turns around, pulling her purse closer over her shoulder. "What, Mom?" She asks, irritated. Her Dad looks down, and her mother stands, walking over to her, and holding out her hand. Spencer feels her rage fill the pit of her stomach. "Hand me your phone, and after school, I'll have your car keys."

Spencer opens her mouth to snap something smart back, but her dad gives her a stern look. Spencer shut her mouth, and she slaps her phone into her mother's hawk like grasp. With that her mother lets her beady black eyes pierce her soul, keeping Spencer from saying anything.

"You can't be serious. What if I need my phone for, you know, emergencies? Life and death situations?" Spencer finally snaps. Her mother rolls her eyes. "Life and death situations? Like driving under the influence of alcohol? Like being in a car with a complete stranger? I don't think you're situations apply here, does it?"

Suddenly, Spencer hears footsteps coming from behind her on the stairs. Spencer doesn't turn around when she hears the lightly pitches irritating voice of Melissa. "Morning, Mom, Dad… Spencer."

Melissa walks past Spencer, but Spencer asks, "Why did you go to the party, Melissa?" Melissa wears a simple black dress with a white belt. Too proper for a twenty-two year old. "I was worried about you. You know you could've gotten seriously hurt?"

Spencer rolls her eyes. "Yeah, but I wasn't. I told you I was fine, I told you I was headed home." Melissa sighs. "Oh, Spencer,"

"Don't, 'Oh Spencer' me! I am not a child! I can take care of myself, and I don't need some prying eyes to watch me everywhere I go, especially you, Melissa! You wouldn't give a monkey's ass if I was dead, and don't you try to not admit it!"  
>"Spencer!"<p>

"What?!"

Her parents said at the same time. Spencer turns on her heels, grabbing her car keys from her bag. Melissa's eyes were wide in shock, her hand placed dramatically on above her heart. A freaking good actress she was, but not for Spencer. She could see the hate in her sisters brown eyes.

Her parents didn't try to stop her as she slammed the front door closed after her. How pathetic, she was being punished, for what? Making a good decision and going home? For helping someone find their way home? She hated her life. But she had to live with it. Like always.

After she closes the gate behind her, she opens her car doors, sliding inside the driver's seat. Her heart was pounding. She hated feeling so angry, but she couldn't help it, not with her family constantly nipping on her. She had to get some coffee, her small reprieve in her life. Okay, so she was addicted to coffee, but there could've been worse.

She decided to drive to the Brew, where she usually went to with Hanna. She backed her car out of the driveway, and she thought curiously at why she hadn't seen Toby there before. Just thinking of his name made her almost forget about her morning brawl. But she forced that lame thought away. But, if he did live there, why hadn't she ever seen him, at least once?

She reaches the Brew after two minutes of driving and she sees it is 5:43. She still has a good hour to spare, so maybe she would just read the book, "Catcher in the Rye" while she was there. It was a class assignment book, and it was a pretty interesting book on adulthood, with the main character going through troubled motions of prostitutes and homosexuality. It was truly an intense story, but a good read.

Spencer parks her car next to the Brew, and she sees the staircase from an angle, and then the red door. She gets out of her car with her purse, and locks her car with a loud "BLEEP" sound. She doesn't let her eyes stay on the red door, and she heads inside the Brew.

It was an overwhelming smell of coffee that hit her in the face, but she liked that smell. It soothed her somehow. She walked up to the counter, and someone had their back turned towards her. It was a taller girl with dark brown hair pulled up into a messy ponytail. The girl turns around, and she smiles slightly at Spencer. Spencer smiles back, before the girl asks, "What would you like?"

"Umm, just a medium caramel macchiato please." Spencer says, and she pulls out her debit card. She slides it through the card reader after the girl says her total, and Spencer recognizes the girl then. "Don't you go to Rosewood High? It's Emily right?" Spencer asks.

Emily turns around, and she shyly nods. "Yeah, that's me."

"You're the swim star, right? I think my friend and I saw you win last year, you were pretty good." Spencer adds, smiling at her. Emily blushes. "Thank you. I appreciate that." She says, as she slides Spencer her coffee from behind the counter.

"Umm, Emily, can I ask you something?" Spencer asks, a little uneasy. Emily looks at her, waiting. "DO you know a guy named Toby? I think he lives upstairs." Emily looks at Spencer, a little confused at first, but then her eyes click. "Oh, yes! I think I've seen him a few times, but, he doesn't really talk much. Why?"

Spencer shrugs, "I just was curious, that's all." Emily raises an eyebrow, and she looks down, "Okay, I'll see you at school, I guess?" Spencer nods. "Yeah, thanks Emily."

"No problem."

Spencer grabs her coffee, and she gives Emily a kind look of appreciation before she heads to the back of the Brew, and she sits down at this small table for two against the glass window. She drinks her coffee gently, it burns the tip of her tongue, and she rips the cup away from her lips, and sets it down. She grabs her book from her bag, and she flips a few pages up to where she left off.

She reads for a few minutes, her eyes slowly each time travelling to the staircase going upstairs in the Brew. She sees nothing, just the brown stairs leading up to a wall. But she knew possibly he was up there. Wow, she should really drink more coffee. Spencer sips some more coffee from her cup, until a voice comes from behind her. "Spencer?"

She almost chokes on her coffee, and she sets her cup down, a small cough escaping her throat. She turns her head, and there he stands. He has a loose black shirt on, his hair shaggier than the night before. His shoes are loose, but the same black boots. His jeans fit nicely on him, and his eyes glow when he recognizes her. He holds in his free hand, a gray leather jacket. She stutters. "Oh, hi Toby." Spencer tries to say casually, but her voice is too high.

Toby smiles at her fast paced voice. He is holding a rolled up piece of large paper, and he points it at her book in her hand. "Anything good?" He asks. Spencer nods, and she says, "Catcher in the Rye."

Toby nods, "That's a great one. _I'm quite illiterate, but I read a lot_." He quotes the book, and Spencer is impressed. "You've read it before?" She asks. He nods, and then she is surprised when he sits down across from Spencer at the round black table. He lays his jacket onto the back of his metal chair.

"Many times. I like to re-read the books I love. I find that each time I read them, it's almost like reading a different story. You find new details you didn't notice before, it's quite interesting."

He speaks like he comes from a different time, almost like he was fifty, and Spencer smiles. She likes that. Toby shifts his weight, his eyes piercing into her own. He seems almost like he was excited to see her again, but she realizes she has just sat there and not said anything to his interesting book philosophy. "Ha, I'm sorry, I don't expect you to understand"- He begins to say, pressing his palm into his eyes, but Spencer interrupts him.

"No. No, I get it. That's actually pretty amazing." Spencer looks shyly down at her hands. She feels his gaze again, like last night. She looks up and he is looking at her with those stunning blue eyes.

"So, do you live here?" Spencer asks, curious. He nods, and scoots his chair closer to the table, placing the blue rolled up paper in front of Spencer. He slides it to her. "Check it out. I'm just reconstructing it now, but I live here for free while I do the work." Spencer shyly grabs the paper, and unrolls it, looking at the blueprints of the loft. It's all vintage and organized, and Spencer finds herself smile.

"Wow, that's really nice, you have a gift." Toby smiles, and he shakes his head. "Not a gift, just hard work." Spencer looks over the blueprints again. Toby asks her, "What about you? Any special gifts? Like driving in a thunderstorm?" Spencer laughs at his hint at the night before, and she rolls the blueprint back up, and slides it over to Toby again.

"Not really, but I can be quite the know-it-all at points." Toby laughs, and he folds his hands into his lap. "I believe you. Blazer-girl." He adds, waiting for her comeback. "It was not a blazer!" She says back, leaning closer to him. He nods, and says, "Yeah, yeah."

Spencer then is concerned when she sees his leather jacket on the back of his seat. His motorcycle!

"Hey, umm, how is your motorcycle? I mean, after last night"-

"It's okay. I have it being towed over here later today, I have to buy a few tools but," Spencer stops him with her worried tone, "Wait, you're going to fix that yourself?" She asks. He nods, and he seems little worn out. "Toby, not trying to like crush your positivity, but that should be paid for to repair, there's no way you can fix that by yourself."

Toby sighs, and he nods sadly. "Yeah, I know, you're right. But, I live on the money I get for construction, I barely have enough cash on me to buy a coffee here." He says, and he shuts his mouth as if he is saying too much. Spencer feels her shoulders slouch at her sadness towards him. She wanted to help him.

"Look, I could pay for it"- She offers. Toby's eyes widen, and he places his hands on the table. "No way, Spencer, don't even think about it. That's way too much," He stops when Spencer's phone chimes. She looks down at her phone, mouthing, "Sorry," before she sees it's a text from Hanna.

**You're lucky I didn't puke! I'm coming to school to hear about this hot guy!**

**-Hanna**

Spencer shuts her phone off, and she slides it back into her purse. Toby sees, and he raises an eyebrow. "Something wrong?" He asks. Spencer asks, "What?" And he eyes her purse. Spencer sees her shaky hand, and she says, "Oh, no, I'm fine."

Toby seems to relax, but Spencer then snaps back into the conversation. "Look, really my family is packed with money, can't I just help you out?"  
>"No, no way, I couldn't let you do that, Spencer." He says, leaning back in his chair. "Why not?" She asks. He stares at her for a moment, breathing out. "Why are you trying to help me?"<p>

She shrugs. "I don't know. But, what I do know, is that you need a ride to finish your construction job in your loft, and I'd really hate to not see this nice vintage loft come to life."

Toby smirks at her, and asks, "Is that so?" And she nods, "Mm-hm." Toby looks down, and he sighs. "Nope. I still can't take your offer. But… I do have another idea."  
>Spencer leans forward. "Okay, I'm listening." Toby sighs, and he says quietly, "I could use another pair of legs to help me move some things around in the loft."<p>

Spencer laughs gently, and she leans back, mimicking Toby. "Is that so, Toby?" She asks, lowering her voice to his tone. He smiles, and he stand from his seat. "I'm sure you have school. Come back after and we will discuss it. Just knock on my door upstairs."

Spencer raises an eyebrow at him. "What makes you so sure I'll help you?" She asks. Toby grabs his jacket, and he wraps it over his shoulders. "Because, how else would my dream loft come to life? I can't do it without your help."

She grabs her purse, and slides her book inside of it. She walks slowly up to Toby, and she squints her eyes up at his. He does the same. She stands a foot away from him, adjusting her purse on her shoulder. "I might actually take you up on that." She says, and with that, she walks around him, and she slips her empty coffee cup into the trash.

She opens the door, and she slides out, and Toby still stand near the table, watching her leave. When Spencer escapes the Brew, she can't stop the wide grin that crawls across her lips. Was he flirting with her…? And now she had to get to school.


	4. Chapter 4: Vinyl and Blue Paint

The loud clock hung above the classroom chalkboard was irritating Spencer. She had ten more questions for her English test, all on the first twenty-four chapters of "The Catcher and the Rye." She had already taken her AP Chemistry test, it was easy basics that she knew she did well on. She knew she would probably ace this test, but her anxiety always was carried around with her. Someone behind her was clicking their pen loudly, and she made a tight fist around her pen.

She also had Emily in this class, she was sitting two seats behind her. They never had really talked, besides small talk like at the Brew. Hanna was sitting across the room, Spencer sat all the way to the right, Hanna all the way to the left. Even though she was hungover and woozy, she still pulled off a pink blouse and a black skirt. She even managed to curl her hair into short loose curls, her makeup fresh and innocent. Hanna had her face pressed into her paper, as if the answers would just appear on the page.

Mrs. Montgomery was their teacher, Aria Montgomery's mother. Aria was also in this class, she was a short girl with an edgy style that somehow always looked good on her. If there was one girl in the school who could pull off cheetah prints with zebra prints all in the same outfit, it was Aria.

The clock ticked again, another minute gone. Spencer read each question carefully, and she finally read one question that caught her eye.

Which of these quotes was said by Holden?

"Life is a game, boy. Life is a game that one plays according to the rules."

"That's a deer shooting hat."

"I have a feeling that you're riding for some kind of terrible, terrible fall. . . ."

"I'm quite illiterate, but I read a lot."

As soon as she read the last choice, she circled it sloppily with her black pen. She could no longer hear Holden saying that quote, she could only hear Toby's husky voice say it to her. And then she saw his grin, his shrug, his mysterious eyes…

Another tick on the clock. She snapped back into action, answering the rest of the questions with ease. After this bell, it would be lunch, and she knew Hanna would want all the juicy details of Toby, but she also wanted to keep the whole "Helping him with his loft," thing to herself. She knew Hanna would instantly start assuming things were going on between them if she did mention it, but… maybe there was? She couldn't stop wondering if Toby really had been flirting with her, and half of her hoped he had.

What time was it? She looked up at the black clock. 12:59 PM. She had fifteen more minutes until the clock rang for lunch. She finished her test, so she stood up and everyone looked at her, knowing she was the first to finish as always. She set the paper down on Mrs. Montgomery's desk, and her teacher smiles at Spencer, her long brown hair evenly parted on each side of her shoulders.

Spencer walks back to her seat, and she sees Hanna's "Smart-ass" stare at her, and Spencer kept herself from laughing. Hanna's pen shook in her hand, and she looked like she was about to pass out. Oh, Hanna.

Minutes passed, and Spencer sat with her back leaned into her chair. She stared at the book in her bag, remembering some of the small details from that morning with Toby. The way he pushed his hand through his hair when he was about to say something, the way he looked at her and listened to every word she said. The way he laughed at her small dry humor. It was uplifting to know she could see him again after just one more class.

Suddenly, the bell rang, and Spencer grabbed her leather bag, throwing it over her shoulder. Hanna stood up also, walking her test up to the front desk like the rest of the students. Spencer walked to the left over to the door, and waited for Hanna. She grabbed her small teal bag, and she met up with Spencer, pushing her shoulder into hers. "Really, Hastings? Finishing first every time?" Hanna asks, walking around Spencer. Spencer smiles, and she laces her arm through Hanna's crossed one, and they walk together to lunch. "You know it's just a part of me, Hanna. I get straight A's, and anything below a ninety percent makes my parents blow their top."

"Yeah, I know trust me I've seen it." Hanna replies. Hanna was very popular, and the guys in the hallway moved easily out their way, Spencer smiled at some of the wide mouthed younger teen boys. "Hanna, you complain that you need a boyfriend, but you could have any of these guys, their goggling over you."

Hanna shrugs as they reach the lunch room. "Yeah, that's true, but I want myself a daring bad-boy." She says. Spencer is almost shocked. "Really? I thought you'd want some big jock."

Hanna shakes her head. "No, I really have a thing for the bad boys. Like there's this one guy in my science class"-

"You mean Human Bio class?" Spencer corrects. Hanna gives her an irritated look. "Never mind, continue your story." Spencer says quickly, and Hanna chirps along, "His name is something hot, I think Clyde, wait, no… C…. Caleb! Oh, that's it!" She says.

Spencer almost laughs, she is shocked. "Caleb, as in Rivers? Hanna, I like stray dogs too, but sometimes they bite."

Hanna slips into lunch line, Spencer behind her. "Well he's had his shots!" Hanna throws back, grabbing a plate. She looks down away from Spencer. "I'm sorry, Han. I mean, if you like him, then I approve." She apologizes, touching Hanna's shoulder. Hanna sighs, and she nods.

"I know, I'm sorry I got all dramatic. I just… he treats me differently than all the other guys, you know? He's not drooling over my skirt and staring at my boobs, he is actually competitive and he sasses me… I was hella pissed at first, but, I don't know…" Hanna stops, as she grabs an apple from the lunch line, and bites it hard.

Then, Hanna's eyes widen, and she swallows hard, yipping, "Oh my God! I almost forgot! Hotty with the body, some explanation please Spence!" She says, kind of loudly.

Spencer shushes her, lowering her voice. "His motorcycle was ruined, so, I gave Toby a ride home"-

"Wait! Toby? You know Toby Cavanaugh?" Some heads turn as Hanna says his name. Spencer feels utterly confused and out of place. Once heads start going back to their meals, Hanna says quietly, "Toby went here for a few days I think, he's Jenna Marshall's step-brother, no kidding right? But people say his sister…" Hanna turns around, and then looks back down as she grabs a sandwich onto her plate.

"Say his sister did what?" Spencer asks. Hanna looks at Spencer, and whispers, "Molested him. Jenna got sent away for a while, but now she's back at school, but no one knows where Toby is now."

Spencer sighs, and she feels a pit in her stomach. Spencer grabs an apple, and then orange juice. Hanna stares oddly at her. "Are you not hungry?" She asks. Spencer sighs. "I lost my appetite."

"Wait, do you really think this is the same Toby I'm talking about?" Hanna asks. Spencer shrugs, and she says honestly, "I don't know." She really didn't want to believe that was true, because if it was true, she was partially forever scarred. That was terrible, she felt bad for Toby Cavanaugh.

Spencer and Hanna paid for their lunches, and sat down outside at this small table. Spencer then awkwardly catches the small Aria Montgomery's gaze, and she sees Aria is sitting by herself at a small table. She has a large book sitting next to her tiger stripped skirt. Spencer almost felt bad for her.

Hanna asks Spencer as they sit down, "Did you and Toby, you know, kiss?" Spencer gags as she is drinking her orange juice, and sets it down. "No, no!" Spencer coughs. Hanna raises an eyebrow. "But you want to?" Spencer gives her the look, and Hanna raises her hands up innocently, "Whatever, just saying."

Spencer looks across the yard, and sees Emily Fields standing with her plate in her hand. Two guys are standing in front of her, and she can tell Emily is uncomfortable. Spencer feels like she owes this to Emily, and she stands up, strutting over to the two guys.

"Excuse me?" Spencer says. The two guys turn to Spencer, whistling. Spencer steps in front of Emily, and Emily has a surprised look on her face. "Don't you two have football practice, or did you lose your balls?" Spencer snaps, placing her hands on her hips. The guys smirk, and the walk away, embarrassed.

Spencer turns around at the shy Emily, and Emily slouches. "Why did you help me?" She asks. Spencer smiles at Emily, and she suddenly asks, "Would you like to sit down with me and my friend? We have plenty of room." Emily sighs, and looks at Hanna, who is eating her sandwich slowly.

"I don't want Hanna to get mad," Emily begins, but Spencer interrupts, "No, Emily, she is completely chill, she'll like you, I promise." Emily seems unsure at first but finally nods. Spencer leads Emily back to her seat, and Hanna raises an eyebrow, but then smiles at Emily.

"It's Emily right?" Hanna asks, as she sits down. Emily nods. "Nice skirt." Hanna says, winking. Emily blushes, she was such a conservative girl. "Thank you." Emily and Hanna continue to talk, Emily begins to open up more as they talk about Calvin Klein and Gucci purses. Spencer feels proud to allow them to meet, because the rest of lunch they would not stop laughing about some girly TV shows.

When the bell rang, Emily and Hanna both made a face of disappointment, and Emily stands up. "Thank you guys, for talking to me." Emily says, smiling. Spencer nods, and Hanna adds, "No, thank you! Come sit with us anytime, Em!"  
>Hanna calls her Em already, and Spencer knows they will be close friends. Spencer watches Emily leave, and Hanna and Spencer hug, Hanna begging her to text her later. And Spencer goes off to her last period class, feeling slightly left-out. But she knows she did the right thing letting Emily sit with them, she was a sweet girl. Maybe they had truly made a new friend, but Spencer would have to wait and see how things would work out between all of them.<p>

It was a relief when she heard the last bell finally ring. She grabbed her bag from Mr. Sears AP French 4 class and headed out. She slipped past most of the students as they crowded the hallways, and she felt her heart racing in her chest. New York sounds blasted as she escaped the claustrophobic building, horns of cars and singing birds.

She walked into the parking lot of the school, and she clicked her car keys to unlock, and heard her Toyota Highlander. She saw the headlights flash, and she walked to her car. She was actually excited to see Toby again. Maybe she could actually have fun for once in her boring life.

She drove her car hurriedly out of the parking lot, escaping the gazing eyes and the loud teens. She made a right turn to the Brew, excitement growing impatient in her stomach. She was nervous though, she barely knew him, but she felt like she had known him longer than anticipated. And now she was actually worried. She kept thinking about what Hanna said, about his step-sister molesting him, and she didn't want to believe that could be true. She would feel terrible to ask him about it, because she'd be invading his personal life.

But it didn't stop the curiosity in her system. She still wanted to know, maybe he was living in the Brew because he couldn't stand living with Jenna. And that would be understandable.

Finally, she saw the Brew coming into view in front of her. She smiled, and her worried disappeared. It was almost 2:39. She had plenty of time to do homework later, it could wait. That was the first time she actually thought that, and it made her even surprised.

She parked her car near the staircase outside of the loft. She left her bag in her car, and brought her phone instead. She looked up at the loft from near the stairs, the one window was covered by what seemed like two blue curtains. It was the same blue color of his eyes.

Spencer climbed up the stairs, each step growing more anxious and intense. What if he was joking and he never wanted her to come? What if he wasn't even here? But these questions didn't stop her as she knocked three sharp times on the red door. It was silent for a few seconds, and she reached her hand up to knock again. But it opened as she did so, and she brought her hand back down quickly. Toby stood in front of her, a smug smile on his face.

"Mi casa es tu casa." Toby says, opening the door wider. Spencer peers inside, and she sees white paper lied out on the floors, the walls blank, and a huge bookshelf sitting in the middle of the room. Toby had blue paint under his cheek, and he wore the same thing she saw this morning, but his black shirt had some of the same blue paint splattered on it.

"Are you sure you'd want my help?" Spencer asks. He cocks his head. "I mean, we just met,"

Toby smiles, and he holds out his hand. Spencer gives him a curious look. "It's a handshake, Spencer, you know, people do it when they don't know each other, and this will seal that we will know each other, right?" He asks, his eyes mysteriously questioning her own logic.

She reaches out her hand, slipping it into his. His hand is warm, strong and muscular. He shakes her hand gently, and then lets her hand go, and she's still frozen. "Come on in, I don't bite." He says. Spencer rolls her eyes, and she steps inside, looking around.

Toby closes the door behind her, wiping his hands on his shirt. "What do you think?" He asks. Spencer breathes in the fresh paint scent, and she nods, turning away from him. "It's roomy. It's nice." Spencer says. She sets her phone and car keys down on a blue table set against wall. The kitchen was small, and empty. There was an old white refrigerator in the kitchen.

Spencer notices there is an old vintage record player in the corner of the loft, a door next to it, probably his bedroom remembering his blueprints. Music flowed evenly out of it, and it sounded like an indie band. It was a mixture of piano, violin, and guitar. The voice was of a man with a raspy but deep voice.

Spencer turns around, and she places her hands on her hips. "So, where do we start?" She asks. Toby looks at her, then at her jeans. "What?" She asks. Toby shakes his head, placing his hand under his chin. "You can't paint in that nice shirt." He exclaims, walking over to her. Spencer feels her cheeks grow hot and blush.

"No, I'm fine." She says quickly. Toby shrugs, and then he walks past her, his presence making her legs shake. He goes near the record player, and he opens the white door in the hallway, and he slips inside. She sees that there is a black bed in the center of the room, and she lets her eyes wander as she stands in the middle of the empty room.

Toby returns, closing his door behind him, carrying some piece of clothing in his hands. She sees it's a blue shirt with long sleeves, one of his shirts. He walks up to her, tossing her the shirt. She catches it, and raises an eyebrow at him in disbelief. "You want me to wear this?" She asks.

"Unless you'd like to ruin your probable expensive shirt, be my guest." He says, a mocking smile on his face. She rolls her eyes, and she begins to unbutton her blue blouse that had her tank top underneath. She throws her blue shirt onto the same blue table that had her phone on it, and she pulls his shirt over her head, pulling it down on her jeans. She realizes the sleeves go easily over her hands length, and she has to push the sleeves up.

She turns around to see him looking at her differently than usually. She crosses her arms stubbornly. "What are you looking at?" She asks. He looks at her eyes, and he says simply, "You." Spencer can't help but feel her face flush with embarrassment. She felt out of place, but safe here.

Toby even seems embarrassed, and he clears his throat, and he walks over to a blue paint bin, and he picks up a large paint brush, slipping it around the rim of the bucket, clearing it. He walks in front of Spencer, and he hands her the paintbrush. "Okay, so, by the time you leave here today, you will have made a great accomplishment and goal." He says.

Spencer laughs, and she grips the paintbrush. "And what accomplishment and goal is that?"

He leans over the paint bucket, and grabs himself a large paintbrush, and strokes the paint evenly onto the white wall. "Your accomplishment: paint this whole wall. Your goal: To stay as clean as possible. Simple enough?" He asks, turning to look at her. She nods obediently.

He begins to paint the wall easily, and Spencer walks over next to him, and she dips her paint brush in the light blue paint, almost white, but blue. She slips it against the white wall, stroking it gently up and down. The top of the wall has already been painted, a ladder standing near the kitchen entrance. Spencer reaches up, and connects her strokes with the ones that had already been made by Toby.

He is quiet as he concentrates on his half of the wall. Spencer eyes him, and sees his strong hand she had shook was now a gentle precise artist at work. Each stroke he took was even and concentrated, not once but out of place. Spencer found herself just in awe with it.

Toby makes a face as the song playing changes, and he sighs, putting his paintbrush back into the bucket. He walks over to the record player, and he lifts up the tonearm of the record player. He places the large disk into a white paper slips, and he pulls another out from the door under the desk the record player sat on. He placed in another vinyl disk, and gently placed the tonearm back down.

Music began to flow out again, with a quiet piano, and Spencer recognized the tune easily. It was the song "Another Story" by The Head and the Heart. He had a good taste of music. She couldn't help but mouth the words as she painted. He painted next to her, and she guess he saw her mouth the words, because then he asked,

"You like this song?" He asks. She nods, looking at him as she paints. "Who doesn't?" Toby seemed surprised, his eyes widening slightly. "I'm surprised you listen to the band." He says, his voice quiet.

"The Head and the Heart, right? I listened to this one song in my car once and was obsessed with it, I think it was called, Winter Song. It's a great song." The music kept playing, and Toby smiles as he paints. "You're the first person I've met who actually listens to them, I'm quite impressed." He says, his voice happy.

Spencer laughs, and she shoulders him with her own shoulder and he looks at her. "You never know what you may find in other people." She says, looking back at her paint job. He smiles, and doesn't say anything. She feels an itch grow on her face, and she itches it with her thumb.

Before she realizes it, she has paint on her forehead. "Crap!" She exclaims, holding her hands out in front of her, the paintbrush in one hand. He looks at her quickly, and she crosses his arms and smiles when he sees she has paint on her forehead.

"Mission failed, Spencer!" He says, laughing. She frowns at him, and she tries to wipe her free hand on her shirt to remove the paint on her hands. But Toby sets down his paintbrush, and he touches her chin with his hand. She freezes, and looks up into his eyes.

"Here," He says, and he uses his thumb and strokes it across her forehead, dragging the blue paint away. She keeps her eyes on his concentrated eyes, before he moves his thumb off her forehead, but keeps his other hand under her chin. She stares into his eyes, her world combining with his.

He stares back at her, a bit too long, and he steps closer to her. Suddenly, her phone rings loudly from across the room. Spencer groans, and Toby quickly removes his hand from her chin, as she walks over to her phone. She couldn't help but feel overly disappointed. Damn it. Damn it.

She answers her phone. "Hello?" She snaps, her paintbrush still in her hand. "Spencer Jill Hastings, where are you now?" It's her mother. Spencer sighs. "I'm at the Brew." She says, a half honest answer. "Well get home now! It's almost 3:30, I expect you home in five minutes!" Her mother commands, and Spencer hangs up.

She nervously grabs her blue blouse, and Toby walks up to her, staying behind her. "Is everything okay?" He asks. Spencer sighs, turning around. "It's my mom, she's expecting me home to possibly ground me." She says angrily.

Toby says, "Oh, why would she ground you?" Spencer looks at him, and she says nervously, "Because I drove home under the influence after I dropped you off. My parents, they just… it's complicated." She says, putting her hand on her forehead.

Toby's eyes look worried, actually worried, and he touches her under elbow. "Do you want to talk about it?" He asks. Spencer shakes her head, and she grabs her car keys. "I actually have to go, um…" Spencer feels rushed. She grabs the bottom of her shirt, and is about to take it off, but Toby stops her by saying,

"No it's fine, keep it." Spencer gives him a thankful smile, and he says, "Wait!" as she grabs the doorknob. She turns around, and he grabs a piece of paper from the kitchen, writing something down. He goes over to Spencer, handing her the small slip of paper.

"I really enjoyed your help, you can email me anytime." She takes the paper, and nods. "Thank you, Toby." He nods. "Do you think we could do this again sometime?" Toby asks. Spencer sighs, "I'll have to email you tonight, I don't know with my parents"-

"No, I understand. I'll see you later, I guess?" He asks, as she opens the door. Spencer nods. "Yeah, see ya." And then she leaves, his hand holding the door open for her as she rushes down the stairs. So many thoughts were running through her head, so many questions, but his heart was not one of them. She liked him. There was no denying that now, and she had to come back. And she didn't have to turn around and look to already know that Toby is probably already watching her leave.

As Spencer enters her car, and begins to drive away, she can't get rid of the goofy smile that is on her face. Despite all the crap going on in her life, Toby was one of the good pieces in it that she wanted to, hoped to, keep.


	5. Chapter 5: The Bright Stars

Driving home was a confusing thing. First, she wanted to get home and finish her homework, but then, she wanted to turn back around and see him again. But she knew the outcome would be one thing either way: Her angry parents.

It was steadily almost four in the afternoon, she still had his shirt on, it had some splatters of blue paint, but she was fine with it. It was strangely like a support system she wore, the shirt was loose on her, but it was soft and safe. She wouldn't mind her parents' rude outrage at this, but she knew she'd fear not being able to see Toby again.

Thinking about it, were they about to… kiss? Or was it just her self-conscious? Maybe she was just dreaming again, hoping too hard when she knew hope breeds eternal misery, she'd learned the hard way many times before. But, damn, if he wanted to kiss her… Was she ready? Did she possibly want to be with him?

The questions kept pilling and pilling up on her as she pulled up to her house. It was dead silent inside her car, as she just took time to breathe. She hadn't been breathing at some points of her drive, the bubbling excitement from being with Toby distracting her even from things like breathing.

She exited her car, closing her door gently, not feeling the need to rush. She entered the gate after entering the code, and she opened the front door, always knowing it was unlocked. When she entered her house, it was quiet. Her Mom and Dad were sitting on the living room couch, and her mother stood up when Spencer entered.

"Spencer"- Her mother began, but Spence put up her hands, "Don't!" Her Mom stops, surprised at her daughters rage in her voice. "Just take my keys, my phone, and leave me alone! That's all you've ever done, just ignore me and pretend I am not such a burden, for once in your life." She hisses through her teeth, tears springing into her eyes.

Spencer breathes in, and her mother shakes her head. "Where have you been?" She asks, more roughly. "At the Brew"- She begins, but her mother walks right up to her, pinching the shirt Spencer was wearing. "Then where did you get a man's shirt?!" She hisses, ripping her hand off her shirt. Spencer has wide eyes at her mother's outrage.

"It's not what it looks like! I was helping… a friend, paint for the Brew." She says, her voice small. Her mother rolls her eyes. "And why did you need to change your shirt?" She asks, her hands clenched. Spencer looks up at her mom, and begins walking towards her room.

"Because he was kind enough to not want my clothes to get ruined, alright?! Would you just back off of me, and let me live!" Her mother steps away, and she crosses her arms. She doesn't say anything. Her dad stands up and walks in front of Spencer. He wears a blue polo button up shirt, and jeans, and he holds out his hands. "Spencer, your keys and your phone."

Spencer closes her mouth into a firm line, and places her keys and her phone into his hand. He takes them and her mother walks away into the kitchen to the left, disappearing behind the wall, her dad follows. "You can have your keys before school, but we are expecting you home right after school, do you understand?" He says, his voice trying to be mean, but it mainly just comes out sorrowful.

Spencer just nods, and walks away to her room, her bag dragging along the floor. She threw her school bag onto her bed, slamming her door as she went. She felt heat rising in her chest, the anger, until she looked at her laptop on her desk.

She raced to her Mac, and she opened it, the screen glowing up. She pressed onto her mail, going to the compose icon. She grabbed the slip of paper Toby gave her with his email out from her bag that was on her bed. And she saw it. His last name. It was Cavanaugh. He had supoosedly been molested by Jenna, and now she felt a large pit in her stomach. She felt bad for Toby, but there was no way she was going to bring that up. and she typed it quickly.

**To: tobycavanaugh **

**From: spencerjhastings **

**It's Spencer. Sorry I had to leave early.**

She left it at that, and clicked SEND. She waited, and waited, biting her nails between her teeth. She decided that he could be busy working, and she grabs her white binder from her bag, finishing some of her AP Chem homework that was assigned. She clicked her pen over and over again, knowing all the answers usually came so easy to her, but tonight, she was blank. Like her inbox to her mail.

Until suddenly, there was a single link to mail. Spencer places her pen on her desk, and her binder on the floor. She clicks quickly on the link, and she smiles when she sees it's from Toby.

**From: tobycavanaugh **

**It's okay, are you alright? And Hastings is your last name? It suits you well, Blazer Girl.**

Spencer sighs, and she breathes in deeply, before typing quickly:

**Yeah, just my parents… I no longer have my own ride or phone. What I get for getting home drunk. And thanks a lot, Paint Boy, and I tell you, IT WAS A JACKET.**

Spencer waits again, watching the screen silently. A bubble pops up with words.

**From: tobycavanaugh **

**Oh, I'm so sorry Spencer. I wish I could do something to help you. By the way, the whole blazer thing is still up to a debate.**

She smiles at the last bit, but she doesn't want Toby to feel responsible for this. It was her mess. But she wished she could see him again… then she had an idea. It was so stupid, she could've thought of this forever ago with the technology they had.

**Toby, do you think we could video chat? I'm having a lot of doubts, I can't even remember the Krebs Cycle.**

She sounded almost needy, and she hated herself as soon as she asked. Of course she couldn't, he had to paint! She slapped herself in the face, now she was angry with herself more than her parents.

**From: tobycavanaugh **

**Sure! I don't want to distract you though, and I have no idea what a Krebs Cycle is, but, I'm sure you can explain it?**

Spencer half smiles, and she answers,

**Okay. Thank you, Toby.**

She waits after she sends it, until her screen blacks out with a small notification that tobycavanaugh wanted to video chat with her. She instantly clicked, "Accept".

The screen went black again, until a fuzzy image came on, with music blurring through the laptop. The Head and The Heart, of course, and Toby sat in front of the camera, even more paint on his face. Spencer laughs, as he wipes his hands on his black shirt.

"What? This is what hard work looks like, Hastings." He says, his voice sounding different. Spencer smiles, leaning back in her chair. Toby's eyes wander around her room, and he says,

"Wow, even your room is preppy." Spencer laughs, and she pushes herself closer to her laptop. "Hey! This is what hard work looks like, Cavanaugh!" She mimics him, and he smiles, letting his head fall forward and he shakes his head. His hair is messy, but shinny on the computer screen. She stares at him, but then she grabs her binder from the floor. She begins writing the explanation for the Krebs Cycle.

"Is that some homework you have?" Toby asks, eyeing the paper. She nods, and she sighs, "Accessories of going to school." She replies, writing quickly. He nods, and he turns in his seat, and he walks out of screen space. Spencer watches, and then the music becomes quieter. Toby returns, and he sits back down.

"Did you go to Rosewood High, Toby?" She asks, looking up at him from her paper. Toby looks down, and he sighs. "Yeah, I did. But, I left and got my GED and now, I'm living the full life." He says, as suddenly one of the light bulbs from above Toby clashes and goes dead. He sighs, and he shakes his head. Spencer laughs, and he half smiles when she does.

"That's nice." He says. She stops laughing, and she asks him curiously, "What?" He looks right at her through the screen, but in the moment the screen isn't there. It's almost like there was no screen separating them, like he was truly just sitting right across from her.

"Your laugh, it's nice." He exclaims, the corner of his mouth raising up. Spencer blushes, and she shrugs. "You do too, Toby, when you do laugh." She means it, his laugh is like a melody that reflects his kind personality. It soothed her, surprisingly more than coffee. He chuckles softly, and it lightens her heart.

"I'm really sorry, I don't know when I can help you with the loft"- Spencer says with meaning, feeling bad she can't help him, at least, for now. He stops her, "Spencer, it's okay, really. I can wait."

"Wait? No, Toby don't wait on me, my parents are a tough crowd, and they will keep me under house arrest for quite some time." She explains, her voice growing desperate. She didn't want him to wait for her, she wasn't worth that wait. But for some reason, he makes her feel worth it, in some ways.

Toby stays quiet for a moment, just for a moment, he looks at her like she was being sarcastic, but he seemed like he caught on that her answer came out from her deeper set feelings.

"Spencer, seriously. Are you okay?" He asks, leaning forward. Spencer sighs, and she feels her throat close up. He waits thought, watching her carefully. "It's nothing…" She says.

"No, it's not nothing. What can I do? I'll juggle these oranges if that helps," He adds, making her let a smile escape. He smiles at her release of some stress, but he continues, saying, "Or I could come over, only if you were comfortable." He says.

Spencer raises an eye at him, and she hesitates. "Toby, but your motorcycle"-

"It is fixed." He says. Spencer gasps, and she looks at him. "No, no way! I saw that thing, it was completely crushed!" She exclaims. Toby shakes his head, crossing his arms. "The wheel was crushed, Spencer, attention to detail. When it was delivered, all I really had to do was change the tire. Not so bad."

"I can't believe you fixed it!" Spencer says, her voice light. Toby nods, and he leans back. "I would like for you to come over, but, Toby, my parents"-

"Just meet me outside then, please Spencer. I want to know you're okay."

Spencer pauses, and she doesn't say anything. He got really actually upset, almost like he was desperate to see her. He notices her shock, and he sighs.

"I'm sorry, it's just… when I'm around you, I don't know, I feel like I can be myself. I haven't felt that around anybody, but you. And you… you're amazing, Spencer. You don't deserve my sad little attention, but I promise I will bring you the best CD you will ever hear if you let me see you, no creepy stuff." He adds.  
>Spencer is blown away. He actually cares about her, he wants to make sure she is okay, and she knows she's willing to break the rules for him. "Okay." Spencer says. He smiles, and she feels alright. For once, she is okay.<p>

She waited out front of her house. Her parents didn't care. She told Toby to meet her out front after giving him her address at ten. She didn't want to be seen leaving, and thought it would be better if she left when her parents were asleep. After she told Toby that, she had to part with him and finish her homework. But Toby had argued with her, no for real, just a small quarrel, and he said he would just let her work. So, she had left him on video chat, and she sat on her bed, finishing her overwhelming amount of homework. He painted the rest of his walls, not touching the area Spencer had painted.

And after he had finished that, she was still finishing her homework, and he just watched her. It wasn't creepy like she would've felt with other guys watching her, it was calming, knowing he just liked to look at her work and concentrate. Spencer ended the video chat then after, saying she'd wait for him out front. He had said, "Goodbye, Blazer Girl." And she said back, "Goodbye, Paint Boy."

And the screen had gone black. She changed out of his shirt, and she folded it, placing it inside her closet. She changed into black jeans, and she threw on a red sweater since it was chillier outside. She had grabbed her black boots, and sneaked down stairs, carefully walking past her parents' bedroom, and out the door without another glance.

So now, standing outside, she felt anxious. Her legs were shaking, her breath coming out of her mouth. She had brushed her teeth beforehand, her breath now minty freshness. She watched the blank black street, lights coming and going. She waited for the single headlight to signal his motorcycle. Something, anything. She didn't even know what time it was.

She shivered, and her hair was now down. Her natural curls pulled through, and now her hair was actually quite messy. Spencer didn't mind though because the only thing she could think of was just seeing Toby. Until, she finally saw him.

The headlight was wasted and worn out, but she saw his silhouette. He had on a motorcycle helmet, the glass covering his eyes, the gray helmet circled around his head. Spencer smiles. He rushes in front of her, braking softly, the motorcycle motor loud and smelled of gasoline.

He raises a gloved hand, and flicks the glass eye piece up, revealing his eyes. "Hop on!" He says. Spencer's mouth drops. He takes off his helmet, and his hair stands up easily, as he hands it out to her. "No, this is crazy!" She says. Toby shrugs. "Sure it is! But it'll be fun, I promise, I'll keep you safe."

Spencer sighs, and she takes the helmet. "What about you?" She asks. He smiles. "I'm experienced, I got it, Spencer. Do you trust me?" He asks, staring at her with the motor running hungrily.

Spencer nods. "I trust you."

She slides her leg over the seat, slipping on. She is unsure how to sit, never being on a motorcycle. She slips her hands around his waist, and then he takes one hand off the handles, and he presses her hands tighter around his torso, around his leather jacket. She slides the helmet on, and it's dark. But she can almost feel his breath inside of the helmet, and she feels more comfortable. She shivers as a breeze comes in.

"Hang on tight, okay? Spencer, are you cold?" He asks over the sound of the motorcycle. Spencer nods against his back. He nods, and he pries her hands off him, and he peels his jacket off. "No, I'm okay." She begins, but he turns around, handing Spencer the leather jacket.

"I can't drive if I have a shaking Spencer Hastings behind me." He says. Spencer slips on the jacket, and it's warm inside. She wraps her arms tightly around him, and she feels his strong torso, and she blushes when her head presses against his back.

She can literally feel his heart pound under her palms past all the New York sounds. He twists his hand on the handle, pausing for a moment, but then the motorcycle takes off. Spencer feels her heart lurch into her stomach as the speed takes on, and the heat of the motorcycle grows up on Spencer's legs.

The stars are bright above them, and Toby drives carefully, fast, but straight. He makes a U-turn, and he takes her down a narrow path through the woods after a few minutes of driving. Spencer looks around through her helmet. She is curious at where they are, the only light is the small one the headlight gave, and the bright blue moon.

She breathes in, and it smells like pine and fresh night air. Toby suddenly pulls up to a full field. It's full of thin yellow grass, it dances gently with the breeze. There are trees surrounding the field, but it's beautiful. It's so beautiful, Spencer feels her heart slow down and stay that way. The sky gives the field a finishing touch, and it's like a painting. And Toby was the artist.

Toby brakes the bike, and shuts off the engine, pulling out keys. She releases her grip around him, and she slides off, standing unsteadily, her legs hot. She pries the helmet off her head, and she sets it down on the seat of the motorcycle. Toby stands up, and she realizes he's in a long sleeved white shirt, and a change of jeans, and now biker sneakers, black with leather laces.

"Wow." Spencer gasps, the breeze blowing her hair back. Toby looks down at her, and he surprisingly grabs her hand into his. Spencer looks down, and he brings her hand to his lips, kissing the top of her hand gently, then letting her hand go, opening up his arms, and smiling.

"Welcome, to the field of rye!" Toby exclaims. Spencer smiles. "What was this all for?" She asks. Toby smiles. "Well, I thought since you enjoyed the Catcher in the Rye, I might as well let you come see my secret place." Spencer steps forward, into the field. She touches the tops of the rye, they tickled her fingers lightly. She smiles, and she feels free. Toby doesn't move from behind her, he just stops and stares.

"It's beautiful here. Do you come here a lot?" She asks, turning around. He nods. "I come here as a reprieve I guess. It's nice here, it's quiet, peaceful. And, you can lie back in the field and look up, and it's like a huge canvas. Sometimes, I just like to come out here at night and look at the stars."

Spencer smiles, and she laughs. He furrows his eyes at her. "What?" He asks, almost embarrassed. "No, it's cute. I love it, you come out here just to… breathe, right?" She asks. He nods, and he walks towards her. "Yeah, you can say that." He stops in front of her.

Spencer looks up at him, and suddenly, a bright light comes from above them. They both look up, and a huge shooting star shoots above them, across the sky, disappearing behind the trees. Spencer watches in awe, and Toby smiles. "Did you make a wish?" She asks. Toby nods. "Tell me?" She asks. Toby sighs, and then he looks deeply into her eyes.

He looks into her, the stars around them combining into a huge light, they reflect in his eyes, his beautiful bright eyes. He lowers his voice, stepping right in front of her, as he joins her in the middle of the field. "I wished… I could kiss you, Spencer Hastings…"

Before she can protest, or even process what his answer was, he leans into her, and presses his warm lips against hers. Something inside her is finally released, a mix of passion and need. The mix of warmth and cool. His hands roam behind her back, up her back then down, creating a chill to spiral up her bones. Her eyes sink closed, and she breathes in deeply, his breath mixing with hers. She wraps her arm around his neck, holding his face against hers, and her other hand is on the side of his face, trailing down his jaw. The moment is magical, it completes her.

His mouth lingers along hers, and she stands up on her toes to keep her face connected with his. Her body is pressed against his, a puzzled finally put together. She slowly pulls back, and she kisses him again lightly. His eyes are brighter now than any star she's ever seen.

"Whoa." She says. His hands are still around her back, and slip away onto her hips. "I, um, was not expecting that." She says, her voice small, as she shyly looks at him. He breathes deeply. "Me either." He answers, his voice smooth and a whisper. He leans down, and he presses his forehead against hers. She closes her eyes, and she suddenly hugs him, as if she was thanking him. He is surprised, but he breathes her in, and hugs her back.

His arms are warm and strong, and it they surrounded her small frame. They stayed like that, just for this moment, as the stars sparkled along the black sky. But the world didn't seem so dark anymore. Not to Spencer, and not to Toby.


End file.
